Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali said today the Pakatan Harapan government must fulfil its promises – particularly relating to the Malay and bumiputera agenda – following its defeat in the Semenyih by-election yesterday.

"Harapan must step up efforts to change and be the party of choice for Malay voters. Harapan must become a source of strength for the community.

"We must be brave and not hesitate in fulfilling our promises, especially on the Malay and bumiputera agenda, which is an integral part of the national agenda.

"We must do so without feeling apologetic or fearful of the criticism of others," he said in a statement today.

'A wake-up call'

Azmin said Harapan's loss in yesterday's polls should serve as a wake-up call, and cautioned against its leaders playing the blame game.

He added that the coalition should take heed of the signal from voters and be proactive in addressing their concerns.

"The government will enhance the implementation of measures to ease the economic burden of Malaysians.

"Through the Economic Action Council, measures to reduce the cost of living, improve wages, alleviate poverty and increase home ownership will be implemented urgently," Azmin said.

Yesterday, BN wrested the Semenyih state seat from Harapan, capturing the constituency with a 1,914-vote majority.

Harapan won the seat in the 2018 general election by a landslide, with votes split between PAS and Umno.

However, both parties cooperated closely for this by-election, which was called following the passing of its Harapan incumbent Bakhtiar Mohd Nor.